To: Minister for Health, Minister for Education and Youth, CEO of the HSE, Medical Schools and Training Bodies of Ireland

Make PMDD a Women’s Health Priority - Education, Recognition, Treatment

Photo by Zohre Nemati on Unsplash
1. Add PMDD to the SPHE curriculum so every school student learns the symptoms, the impact, and the routes to diagnosis and treatment.

2. Recognise the menstrual cycle as a key indicator of health, especially in women’s mental health, and ensure it is taken seriously across healthcare and public education. This should be done through public health awareness campaigns led by the HSE.

3. Make PMDD a priority for the Women’s Health Taskforce.

4. Create a national PMDD care framework with clear standards for diagnosis, referral, treatment and support - similar to the 2025 Framework on Endometriosis

5. Train all relevant healthcare professionals to recognise and support PMDD properly 

Why is this important?

PMDD is a serious and often misunderstood condition that can be devastating for those living with it, affecting mental health, relationships, education, work and overall quality of life. 

It is commonly estimated to affect around 3–8% of people with a menstrual cycle, yet awareness and understanding remain far too low. 

Research has also found extremely high levels of distress among people with PMDD: 
  • Approximately 1 in 3 women with PMDD have attempted suicide
  • Approximately 50% have self-harmed.

Too many people are left without answers, misdiagnosed, or made to feel that what they are experiencing is normal when it is not. Better education, clinical awareness and clear treatment pathways would mean earlier recognition, faster support and less needless suffering. 

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